Finally a Family
by petevioletfan
Summary: Post Season 3 Finale


Pete stared through the glass of the hospital waiting room admiring the ease at which Violet was comforting the small girl who just lost her father.

He couldn't help but fall in love with her all over again, not that he ever really stopped…but he had Addison to think about now. Staring at Violet he inwardly cursed himself for getting involved with someone else in the first place.

Pete knew his relationship with Addison was never real. They were fooling themselves into thinking that they could build a real foundation, when they were clearly both in love with other people.

However, now as he watched Violet stroke Betsey's hair, he began to rethink everything. She seemed better, and as he continued to watch her he could feel his anger towards her leaving start to fade away.

His relationship with Violet had never been easy. It always seemed as if he was the one fighting for them, and she was the one running away. While he understood her posttraumatic stress after Katie, that didn't make things any easier.

He wanted to be there for her and help her through but it was like she always held him at a distance, and no matter how close he got, it was never close enough.

It was precisely then that Addison approached the window, clearly observant of Pete's obvious feelings for Violet. As much as Addison had invested in her relationship with Pete, and as strong as her bond was with Lucas, she knew that fooling them selves any longer would just end up damaging them all.

Pete listened intently as Addison told him that Violet was ready for their son, and for him. As much as he wanted to believe it, hearing Addie agree was enough to convince him it was the truth. He had always admired Addison for her honesty, and while she stood there and let him go he could not help but gain more respect for her.

After she kissed him on the cheek and left, Pete inevitably began thinking how to go about getting Violet back. It had been a year since they had decided to be together, and so much had happened. He wanted to believe Violet was ready to come back to him and Lucas but he couldn't be sure without talking to her.

He left the window and walked around the hospital giving him some time to think. Dell had died that night, and everyone was still numb. However, if tonight had taught him anything, it was that he couldn't waste anymore time. He had to tell Violet how he felt before anything else came between them.

Violet continued to stroke Betsey's hair, thinking about everything the little girl had been through. Her thoughts immediately drifted to Lucas and Pete. She had put them through so much by leaving, and she didn't want to run anymore.

After talking to Pete the previous day she could no longer deny whatever it was between them. As she had reached out and hugged him she felt a rush of feelings take over her body. As she stroked his hair, she could feel him tuck his head into deep into her neck.

Pete had waited all year for her to come back to him and as they stood in his office holding this embrace she could feel herself pull away out of fear that she wouldn't be able to control her feelings if it lasted any longer.

He was with another woman, and while that was enough to make her feel completely heartbroken it was worse to know that woman was Addison. While Violet always knew Pete and Addison shared a weird connection she never thought she would be looking from the outside while Addison stood in her place…with her family.

As Violet turned these thoughts around in her head she almost didn't notice Pete's sudden presence in the room. He walked by her casually and took a seat across from the chair where she had been sitting for hours.

Without a word he grabbed her hand in his and stared at their hands now intertwined. It took a few seconds before Violet realized that this was it, he was coming back to her, that he was initiating a new start.

She could feel her lips curl upwards as she thought about them finally getting a chance to be together. As Pete tightened his grip on her hand, they stared at each other, no words needed. She pulled her free hand away from the opposite chair and placed in on top of Pete's, intending to show him that she was ready, that she wanted to be together, that she finally wanted to be happy.

"Are we really doing this?" Violet asked as she broke the silence.

"We're really doing this" Pete replied smiling.

"I'm sorry, about everything. I shouldn't have run." Violet could hear words flowing out of her mouth as if against her will. It was as if everything she had built up inside all this time was suddenly being released.

"I'm sorry too Vi, I should have waited. I shouldn't have fooled myself into thinking I could move on from you" he said as he quietly chuckled.

"Do you want to come back to the house with me? We can talk about everything? You don't have to do anything, I can sleep on the couch."

Pete continued to ramble, as if he thought Violet was going to freak out and run away again. "Pete, I'm fine" Violet whispered, leaning in and ensuring him that she wasn't going anywhere.

It was then that Naomi walked into the waiting room. She looked exhausted after everything she had been through that night. "I'm going to take Betsey home with me tonight, her aunt should be here in the morning, but I want her to get some sleep."

"Yeah of course" Violet responded as she stood and moved aside so Naomi could lift the small girl into her arms. She watched as they exited the room leaving Pete and her alone. "So, your house?" Violet said as she looked up at Pete.

As they walked through Pete's front door Violet couldn't help but think about the last time she had stood on this stoop, ready to return to her family only to find out they had moved on. That's when she realized that she had yet to ask Pete about Addison, and how things had abruptly ended that night.

Lucas's nanny, who Violet had only met briefly a few weeks before, greeted them near the door. To Violet's surprise, Pete grabbed her hand as to show that they were together. Unsure of how to react she simply went along with it, greeting the nanny she would inevitably be seeing a lot more of in the near future.

She briefly updated them on Lucas's behavior throughout the night before she exited, leaving them alone. "I'm going to go check on Lucas" Violet quickly stated as she made an escape down the familiar hallway to her son's room. He looked so peaceful, making Violet feel as if she might cry. After everything she had put him through she was back and she was getting another chance to be his mother.

She watched his chest rise and fall, thinking about how lucky she was. Not wanting to disturb him she made a quiet escape back to the living room where she found Pete on the couch pouring two glasses of wine.

"How is he?" Pete asked, wondering how Lucas was sleeping.

"He's wonderful" Violet responded as she felt her eyes begin to water. She took a seat on the couch beside Pete, allowing him to see her sudden emotions.

"Hey, hey" Pete said as he reached over and wiped a tear falling down Violet's right cheek, "don't cry," he urged, "you're here now."

Pete was sitting so close to her that it almost felt unfamiliar. It had been a year since they had comfortably been this close to each other. It was then that Violet tilted her head upwards so they're faces were practically touching. They stared at each other briefly, taking in everything.

Violet leaned in brushing her lips against Pete's. It had been so long since they had been intimate that it was oddly comforting to be in this position again. Pete raised his hand and placed it on Violet's cheek as they shared a longer, more passionate kiss.

Violet pulled away, not wanting to get any more invested until her and Pete had a serious talk. She knew they couldn't just snap their fingers and return to the way things were, they both had to regain the trust they had lost in their year apart.

Violet laughed slightly as she pulled back from Pete and moved back so her back was resting on the arm of the couch.

"Are you sure about this Pete? I mean, I wouldn't blame you if you had reservations about us." Violet asked, clearly hesitant.

"What are you talking about?" Pete responded as he handed Violet her glass of wine and chuckled.

"What about you and Addison?" Violet asked, curious.

"What about me and Addison? Violet you have to understand that Addison and I didn't ever have a relationship. We desperately tried to convince ourselves that by being with each other would mean us forgetting about the people we actually loved. That can only last so long before you just start to feel…alone."

"But during our custody battle, I asked you if you still loved me and you said that you'd moved on."

"Violet, I was angry, I was confused, I was hurt. Of course I was still in love with you, but you were suing me…I didn't know how to react to that." Pete replied.

"Okay, I get that but I have known you for over a decade Pete. We have a child together, I know you better then probably anyone else. I've been telling you for years that you're angry, but even I have never seen you so mad as you were that night." Violet paused. "Do you think you can just get over that?"

"Honestly I was enraged, at the time I didn't understand how you could have taken me to court after everything I'd done for our son…but it turns out I can't stay mad at you." He laughed. "You might think that I would hold everything against you but I don't. And when you came into my office yesterday and apologized I realized that I still love you."

Violet stared back at Pete after he muttered those three words. Hearing him say that again was enough to make her believe that this time they would make things work.

She smiled at Pete, taking a sip of her wine. "Okay, if you say you forgive me, I believe you." She sighed. "But you're sure?"

"I'm sure" he replied smiling. He stared at her for a second; fully processing that she was finally sitting across from him on his couch.

"Nothing, I'm just glad you're here" Pete responded, expecting a slightly more excited reaction from Violet.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he caught her staring into the distance.

"I don't know. I'm so happy, but every time I want to smile I think of Dell. I don't know I guess this night is just bittersweet." Violet shrugged as she began to feel emotional.

Pete moved closer to Violet on the couch and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her left ear. "You're tired. Go get some rest." he whispered.

"I'll go grab you a t-shirt to wear and you can sleep in my bed." He continued speaking as his hand moved down to graze her arm. "I'll go check on Lucas again and then I'll sleep on the couch." He finished.

"Pete, you don't have to sleep on the couch. I'm fine!" Violet stated rather firmly, trying to convince him that she would be okay sharing a bed.

"Vi, it's okay. I want to give you your space, I don't want to pressure…or scare you out of…" Pete hesitated.

Violet placed both her hands on Pete's face urging him to listen "Pete, I'm fine! I'm not going anywhere. This isn't last year, I'm not going to be scared." She continued to ramble "frankly all I want right now is to sleep next to you, and for you to tell me everything's gonna be okay…because every time I think of Dell not greeting me at that front desk every morning I feel the sudden urge to cry, so please just come to bed!" She took a deep breath as she finished speaking.

Without saying a word Pete rose from the couch and led Violet to his room. He rummaged through his drawers eager to find her something comfortable to wear. He pulled out a t-shirt she would often wear back when they started sleeping together.

"Looks familiar" Violet said as she caught the t-shirt Pete threw from the other side of the room.

"I remembered you liked it" Pete said, recalling how the shirt stayed at Violet's for months after she refused to return it.

After they changed, they turned down the covers and climbed into bed like any other couple. As Violet quickly adjusted to the bed she had been missing from for the last year, she immediately became comfortable.

She had thought numerous times about what climbing back into bed with Pete would feel like and never imagined it would be this comforting.

As Violet laid facing the window she could feel Pete's arms wrap around her, reminding her of countless nights they had fallen asleep and woken up in this same position. It felt oddly familiar as if she was simply returning to a routine.

Just as she began to close her eyes she heard Pete mutter the words she had so desperately wanted him to say: "Everything is gonna be okay" he whispered into her ear before both their eyes grew heavy.


End file.
